Reviewed by USGSTonga4mo ago
M5.0 earthquake 153 km N of Neiafu, Tonga
Tuesday, May 26, 2026, 19:25:11 UTC · 17.285°S, 174.211°W
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck 153 km N of Neiafu, Tonga on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, 19:25:11 UTC, at a depth of 118.7 km (intermediate). USGS received 1 “Did You Feel It?” report, with a maximum reported intensity of II (weak). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.3 on May 26, 2026.
- Magnitude
- 5.0
- Moderate · mb
- Depth
- 119 km
- Intermediate
- Felt reports
- 1
- Max intensity II
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquake
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
477 tons of TNT
That is about 1/32 of the Hiroshima bomb. Each whole step in magnitude is about 32 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
39 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Tonga and Niuafo'ou plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: intermediate
119 km
Intermediate-depth earthquakes usually break inside a plate that is sinking into the mantle. Shaking spreads over a wide area but is gentler at the epicenter than a shallow quake of the same size.
Did You Feel It?
Where it was felt
Reports sent by people to USGS, grouped by place (most reports first). Intensity uses the Modified Mercalli scale (I–X): what people felt, not the magnitude.
| Place | Intensity | Reports | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neiafu, Vavaʿu, Tonga | II · Weak | 1 | 193 km |
USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
USGS publishes PAGER impact estimates for significant earthquakes, usually within an hour. No PAGER estimate is available for this event.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 75 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 2,575 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 8.11919 Tonga EarthquakeApril 30, 1919 · 220 km SE of this epicenter
- 8.0The 1917 Samoa-Tonga EarthquakeJune 26, 1917 · 274 km N of this epicenter
- 7.8146 km ESE of Hihifo, TongaDecember 26, 1975 · 218 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.7133 km NE of Hihifo, TongaSeptember 1, 1981 · 285 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.682 km WNW of Hihifo, TongaMay 10, 2023 · 187 km N of this epicenter
- 7.6199 km ESE of Hihifo, TongaApril 2, 1977 · 234 km E of this epicenter
- 7.5158 km W of Neiafu, TongaMarch 24, 2026 · 193 km SW of this epicenter
- 7.488 km NNE of Hihifo, TongaApril 7, 1995 · 243 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 14 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 2 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1917M8.3
Samoa Islands
26 Jun 1917 · 237 km away
2 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1919M8.1
Tonga Islands
30 Apr 1919 · 215 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1865M8.0
Tonga Islands
18 Nov 1865 · 257 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1981M7.7
Apia; American Samoa: Pago Pago
1 Sep 1981 · 285 km away · intensity VI
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1977M7.6
Apia
2 Apr 1977 · 234 km away · intensity VI
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1975M7.8
Samoa Islands
26 Dec 1975 · 218 km away · intensity V
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.